Books about Anguilla

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Tuesday 21 August 2012

IOC INVESTIGATING CARIBBEAN ATHLETES

LONDON — The International Olympic Committee’s anti-doping chief acknowledged that they are investigating suspicious items found in the rooms of many Caribbean athletes.

The IOC had been tipped off that these items may be responsible for the disproportionately superior results of the athletes from this region. 

An IOC spokesman said in a statement, "We have opened an inquiry and have asked the various Olympic Committees of those island nations for an explanation."

"Samples of the items found have been seized and will be retained for testing. Photo evidence of the items have been passed to the chairmen of those Olympic Committees for their review, and to evaluate any further steps to be taken" the spokesman also stated.

The Caribbean islands with their medal counts are listed below:
Country
Gold 
Silver 
Bronze
Total
Jamaica
4
4
4
12
Cuba
4
3
5
12
Trinidad & Tobago
1
0
3
4
Dominican Republic
1
1
0
2
Puerto Rico
0
1
1
2
Bahamas
1
0
0
1
Grenada
1
0
0
1
It was also noted that athletes representing the Netherlands were also from this region.

Below is a copy of the photo evidence of the items found:

Highly suspicious... awaits testing results. 


Thursday 16 August 2012

“SOAK YUH BLOWS LIKE A MAN!”

The cries for cancelling the Anguilla Summer Festival this year have subsided as many citizens have come to grips with the fact that to do so would be to surrender to those cowardly individuals who would seek to perpetrate violence and death against unarmed persons in our community. Undoubtedly, the community still deeply mourns the passing of those three young men who were cut down in the prime of their lives, this year, through senseless acts of violence. The Mighty Springer in one of his Calypsos for the up and coming Calypso Monarch Competition captures the essence of the pain involved as he asks the question in song: “Why did another mother’s child have to die?”

I was also very disappointed when one of our elected representatives suggested in the public media that perhaps “we should cancel carnival!” Of course we must be concerned for the safety of our citizens participating in the Summer Festival, in the wake of those criminal acts. However, our response as a community to such conduct must never be to retreat but rather to confront the issue determined that it should not be a deterrent to the enjoyment of our culture and traditions --- nor indeed, to our enjoyment of everyday living.

The Royal Anguilla Police Force (R.A.P.F.), under the leadership of Commissioner Rudolph Proctor, has over the last weeks dispelled many of the misconceptions and restored much confidence in the R.A.P.F.’s capacity to deal with the latest surge in youth and gun violence. This improved relationship not only brings a sense of security to participants and spectators in the Summer Festival but also augurs well for the future management of criminal situations in the wider community.I sincerely hope that the Commissioner’s plea for more forthcoming witness corroboration in their investigations will be realized as a result of this new positive development. 

The new Chairman of the Summer Festival Committee, Mr. Davon Carty, seems determined to make this season one with a difference --- but he has also made the wise decision to follow the template that was established by past Committees and not try to “reinvent the wheel”. All of this taking place at a time when the economy is faltering and the stories of unemployment; loss of businesses; loss of homes; loss of transportation; and hunger abounds. The jury is still out on whether Mr. Carty will achieve his objectives in such a hostile environment. However, it appears that to date he has been able to create a harmonious relationship with his committees and the wider community --- which can only be beneficial to his successful management of the entire Festival. I sincerely wish Mr. Carty and his team all the best in this endeavour.

Last year the South Valley Community launched its first Annual Street Fair. It takes place annually on the main street of the Village. August 4, 2012 is the scheduled launch date for this unique event this year, which like last year will highlight various aspects of our culture and tradition. You can look forward to this event the Saturday before August Monday each year. It will take place from 6.00 a.m. to sundown.

The SVC Street Fair is intended to take advantage of the hub of activity at the Landsome Bowl Cultural Center, which is actually situated in South Valley. There will be booths and tents lining the main road from the east beginning at the Roundabout next to Ashley’s & Sons Supermarket to Laurel’s Curiosity Shop in the west.

The Village will be decorated with festive streamers and banners. Amplified music and other forms of family entertainment (including a Bouncing Castle for the youngsters) will create an atmosphere of amusement and merriment befitting the Summer Festival spirit. There will be a Domino Competition; card games; and other table games. In fact there will be something for everyone. You will be able to visit the many booths, which will be selling food, confectioneries, drinks, clothing; hats; and shoes appropriate for the season.

The tents and booths will be managed by a number of vendors from the Village but a number of other persons have come up with some interesting ideas to enhance the quality of the event. Senior citizens will be especially looked after on this occasion in an area set aside for their relaxation and entertainment. It was a “blast” last year and now promises to be bigger and better this year. It is a wonderful event and I wish the South Valley Community Street Fair Committee and all its sponsors another successful year.

There will be Queen Shows, Pageants, Variety Shows, “Bandoramas”, Troupe Parades, J’ouvert Jams, and Boat races during the forthcoming Summer Festival. However, I must confess that my favourite events are the Senior Calypso Monarch and the Leeward Islands Calypso Monarch Shows. In fact, in recent times, I am guilty of only going into the Village on those two occasions. It has now become a tradition for a group of us to take up our places at the highest vantage point next to the fenced seating area, well-equipped with umbrellas and a steady flow of refreshments, to enjoy the show. For at least twenty years we have been in that same spot leaning on the perimeter fence behind that last row of seats. We listen critically and attentively to every single calypso presentation --- often making predictions as to the eventual winners of the contest. We have seldom expressed any serious opposition with the Judges’ decision.

Being a member of the Government for sixteen years in the position of Minister of Finance I have been the target/subject of many calypsos. But being a very zealous fan of the art form I have never taken eventhe harshest commentary, personally. I have been asked on occasion how could I stand there year in year out and enjoy the Show in the face of such lyrical bashing. Truth be told, I have enjoyed many of the artists who have bashed me the most --- mainly because I am confident in the inaccuracy of their comments on the one hand and on the other I consider them to have some form of poetic licensein the stories they weave. “I Spy” has always been one of my favorites because of his comedic style even when he uses the most degrading labels and I have had to take deep swallows at “Dynamite’s” most unfair scathing attacks even on the Webster Park at an Official Parade.

As a lyricist myself, I have always tried to be balanced in my compositions and have avoided raw politics, defamatory comments, sensational half-truths, and gossip. That is simply my particular writing style --- which in fact mimics the style I have tried to cultivate as a politician with a few exceptions that I personally regret. On the other hand there are some lyricists who can be very extreme in their commentaries and unkind in their characterizations. They in fact very often use this approach to amuse the audience rather than to be outright vicious or nasty. Their presentations are more often than not, lyrical caricatures rather than an accurate portrayal of the subject. Of course there are cases in my estimation that have seriously “crossed the line”.

The foregoing notwithstanding, I have never,verbally or otherwise, attacked a Calypsonian who bashed me in his/her song --- nor have I sought to have their compositions censored or banned. In fact I firmly believe that responding to such lyrical attacks brings more attention to the comments than would normally obtain and particularly in the case of a politician it shows weakness. It is in this general context, that I must express my disappointment at the Parliamentary Secretary, Haydn Hughes’ rancorous attack on Queen Bee, a well-known Calypsonian; formerSenior Female Calypso Queen; former Senior Calypso Monarchand former Miss Talented Teenon public radio last week. It seems obvious that the Parliamentary Secretary used this occasion to retaliate for the commentary in her latest hit “Burning Issues” which he seems to interpret as unfair to him. It appears clear that the Parliamentary Secretary was directing his comments at Queen Bee in her role as Chairperson of the Miss Anguilla Pageant Committee when he made the following statement here transcribed from the audio version:

“I believe umm even as it relates to the Ms. Anguilla, Ms. Anguilla there’s so much uncertainty. I remembered when Nurse Nanton was in charge of that that that committee, you know; you had a beautiful , elegant, trim lady coming to your home and say “hey, I want your daughter to be in the Ms. Anguilla” and you was like wow, Nurse Nanton beautiful, intelligent and so forth. But today we probably need to look at the person who’s going to their homes and asking to come out to be in the Ms. Anguilla contest. You know, when whenwhen someone who’s um 300, 400 pounds come to your door and say I would like your daughter to be Ms. Anguilla, to be in the Ms. Anguilla contest…”

I fully agree with Miss Webster (Queen Bee) when she stated:“Mr. Hughes’ comment regarding my weight is not only discriminatory, but disrespectful to me personally and to women on the whole.” The fact that Mr. Hughes, who is known to be a lyricist himself, reacted in this manner to a few lines in a calypso, which he does not appreciate,could indicate that he is not ready for “prime politics”. Politicians are the main targets of social commentary coming from those who practice the calypso art form. If Mr. Hughes wishes to follow in his father’s footsteps this is only the beginning of things to come.

It is my view that the number of negative reactions to Mr. Hughes’ behaviour should have by this time caused him to apologize for his statement. But I have evidence to prove that he has been quietly admonished to apologize and has bluntly refused to do so. His comment being: “I am not Victor Banks …..I will not sit down and let them ride me!”

I would like to suggest to Mr. Hughes that he is misinterpreting my response to social commentary in calypso. Calypso is geared towards entertaining. The content may seem unflattering from time to time --- but you should always be aware that today for me --- tomorrow for you. I had my share because I was in Government for sixteen consecutive years. You in Government now --- your time has come. Man up! Leave Queen Bee alone! Soak yuh blows like a man!! Carnival now start!

By: Victor F. Banks
Victor Banks is a former Finance, Economics, Commerce and Tourism Minister on Anguilla. He is presently the leader of the Oposition Anguilla United Front Party, writer and author of a weekly political article for The Anguillian News Paper, lyricist, and a self-employed entrepreneur.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

“ADJUST YOUR POSTURE!”


With murmurings of Cap Juluca closing indefinitely, inundating the “broad pa’ circuit” and calls from the “Hickox Family” and the “Brilla Group” for action of one kind or the other on the part of Government --- the past weekend was not promising to be one that could inspire positive sentiments about the future of the property and of Anguilla. The “Hickox Family” on the one hand, is accusing the Government of Anguilla of not living up to the terms of its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and in particular of not living up to its age old policy which states: “All beach front accommodation shall be either hotel owned or in a rental pool available to be rented to transient guests of the hotel”. To be more specific, the “Hickox Family” is claiming that villas purchased by private owners, comprising 27 of the 95 rooms available for use at Cap Juluca, have been padlocked and are being excluded from the managed rental program of Cap Juluca. The “Hickox Family” contends that it cannot operate a property, fractured in this way, and that Government is refusing to meet its obligations under the MoU. 

On the other hand, the “Brilla Group” is claiming that the “ ‘Hickox Family’ has no ground lease with the Crown, no Alien Landholding License (ALHL), no business license, and no financial wherewithal to consolidate the Resort, let alone renovate and develop the property to its potential”. In these circumstances, the “Brilla Group” is calling on the Government of Anguilla (GoA) to “foreclose on the numerous defaults existing under the ground lease and the ALHL process and hold a bona fide auction, welcome all bidders, for anyone willing to pay the GoA and the Crown what is owed on the lease and with the financial wherewithal to invest in the property and honor its agreement!” 

As in most cases of this kind, the arguments put forward by each side can sound equally persuasive and will cause the ordinary citizen to be, to say the least, confused. In the case of the workers, service providers and suppliers of Cap Juluca one can only imagine the uncertainty and frustration that they are now undergoing --- being unable to clearly decide what to believe. And to cloud the issue even further they have all received letters and heard statements from the Hickox Family; the Brilla Group and the Government of Anguilla. The Government for its part claiming it is “not in a position to arbitrate a settlement between two private entities in this arrangement”. 

I do not intend to wade through the muddle of arguments being put forward so as to offer a clear position on this matter. But there are some factual perplexities in all of this on which I must comment. Firstly, as I recall the Government of the day less than two years ago renegotiated a brand new MoU with Mr. Adam Aron which they claimed was in the best interests of Cap Juluca --- why then are they reluctant to stand by it today? Secondly, the Chief Minister and his cohorts orchestrated a march on the Governor’s Office by the staff of Cap Juluca petitioning the Governor to hurriedly grant an Alien Landholding Licence to Mr. Hickox to take over Cap Juluca --- why then are they now making him (Hickox) out to be “the villain” to the staff at Cap Juluca? Finally, if as the Chief Minister claims he cannot arbitrate a settlement and wishes to encourage constructive dialogue --- why then is he going down to Cap Juluca giving what seems to be a clear preference to one of the parties/entities in the dispute? And just a curious thought which is provoking me to ask these questions: “ Who is the Chief Minister claiming that Governor is supporting now, the Hickox Family; the Brilla Group; or none of the above?” Or is it the past Government in particular the former Minister of Finance? Inquiring minds want to know!!! 

Fortunately, in the midst of all this there were a number of events, which gave me a good feeling and I am sure all those persons who attended them as well. On Sunday afternoon I attended the 5th Anniversary Service for Destiny Church Anguilla that is led by Pastor Gary Hodge and I must take this opportunity to congratulate him on this early milestone and wish him continued success in his Ministry. My own Church Ebenezer also celebrated the 182nd Anniversary of its Chapel Building on the same day. However, it was something that Pastor Gary’s nephew, young Minister Dalan Vanterpool said which probably stayed with many in the congregation. His text came from the Book of Lamentations Chapter 3 paying particular attention to verse 21 which reads: “But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope!” 

The message was to remind us that despite the challenging times we face, through the grace of God we have survived much more and even more severe tribulations because “his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning”. His admonition was that whenever we face such challenges because of that assurance we should simply “adjust our posture” and move forward with confidence. I believe that this is a solid message both for the workers at Cap Juluca and the Government, indeed for all of us, namely, that we should not cower at times like these but rather adopt a positive attitude and approach, bearing each other up instead of pulling each other down. 

The second event that I attended was a press conference on Monday at the Anguilla Tennis Academy celebrating the continued success of the institution through one of its products, a young woman, Ms. Nzingha Banks. Nzingha was recently awarded a full scholarship to play Tennis and pursue academic studies at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. The event was in my opinion a fitting tribute to the visionary leadership of Mitchelle Lake who is the founder and CEO of the Academy. He must be commended for having built an institution that has done many positive things for the more than 3000 young people who have entered its doors and passed through its programs. These are programs that have resulted in scholarships and training opportunities for its students as well as job and business opportunities in the community. 

The Anguilla Tennis Academy is a centre of excellence and a model for sports programs throughout Anguilla, the region and the world. It is “world class” and shows what heights we can aspire to as a country and a people. It is Mitch’s passion for the sport and his desire to give other young people the chance to derive similar benefits to those he was able achieve through Tennis that has ensured its success. Somewhere in all of this are some of the solutions to the challenges we face with young people in the community as well as the kind of approaches we need to adopt as a people to really participate in the developmental issues of our island. To use the mantra which Mitch “coined” for the ATA, this is indeed the formula for “shaping lives and building a future” for Anguilla. 

The third event was an opening ceremony for “Sunshine Rainbow Real Estate Ltd” at Villa Modena also on Monday afternoon. This was a testimony to Anguillian entrepreneurship, ambition, and courage, all in one place. Young Mr. Uton Rogers who spent the past twenty-five years in the tourism industry as a top employee at the Cap Juluca Hotel, launched a new career in the real estate business. And the place he chose to keep this opening event was at Villa Modena, a multi-million dollar exclusive luxury property owned by another Anguillian, Mr. Leslie Richardson. What this event highlighted for me is the fact that Anguillians are prepared to “step up to the plate” and become fully involved and invested in the industries that drive our economy. And I, especially use the terms ambitious and courageous because in recent times both of these industries have been experiencing negative growth. 

Is there a lesson for us here that can be applied to the situation at Cap Juluca? I certainly think so! And it is quite simple! We need to press for more local ownership/participation in the ventures that comprise our Tourism sector. The previous MoA for Cap Juluca by the past Government made provision for such a possibility. If such an option were exercised perhaps we would have much more leverage in matters relating to that project today. Perhaps this is the new model we should adopt. And the price for such a facility could actually be a reduction in customs duty or a financial acknowledgement of that factor in the concessions we grant. 

These three events were a refreshing reminder that there is much that we can do to enhance our status and improve our lot as Anguillians. Uton’s venture tells us that we need to be more courageous in pursuing opportunities in the Tourism sector. The ATA is showing us that we can be world class in the way we approach critical programs in our community. And finally, Minister Dalan Vanterpool suggests that in the face of challenges we simply need to “adjust our posture” and advance with confidence and hope. Who can be against us --- but ourselves? 

By: Victor F. Banks
Victor Banks is a former Finance, Economics, Commerce and Tourism Minister on Anguilla. He is presently the leader of the Oposition Anguilla United Front Party, writer and author of a weekly political article for The Anguillian News Paper, lyricist, and a self-employed entrepreneur.